Motha Frickin Cardverse
by HetaliaVampireAcademyFan420
Summary: Anastasia Cardverse AU. Read it mofos. It's lit. UsUk Spamano etc. the gang's all here.


Two boys dressed in blue ran down the gilded staircase, laughing and casting glances behind them at the older boy in pursuit.

"Matthew! Alfred! Get _back_ here!" He panted, reaching out to try and grab their coats. "I'm supposed to be watching you, the queen-"

"You gotta catch me first, Artie!" Giggled Alfred, who was the older twin by 3 minutes, making him the heir to the throne. Matthew, who was slated to be the Ace, brandished the wand the two had stolen from their babysitter.

"I can still curse you without it!" Arthur pushed back his sleeves and fixed the boys with his best evil stare. He couldn't, at this point in his training. And he wouldn't even if he could. Arthur Kirkland, at just 12 years old, was the most promising magician in Spades, earning him a spot as the Queen's apprentice. Which meant that more often than not, he was stuck babysitting her mischevious twins.

It also meant that when Prince Alfred reached his 18th birthday, Arthur would be his Queen, but Alfred didn't know that. For now, the 8 year old was content to listen to Arthur's stories and make the magician chase him around the palace.

"Gotcha!" Arthur cried, finally catching up to the boys and picking up Alfred. Matthew, seeing that the game was over, happily gave back Arthur's wand.

"Turn him into a frog!" Matthew suggested. "Or a spider!"

"How about I summon a _ghost_!" Arthur whispered, and Alfred squealed.

"No! I'm sorry, Arthur! Please don't wake the ghosts!" And then after a moment of consideration, "But can you turn me into a lion?"

"No lions allowed in the castle, Alfred." A rumbling voice said from above them. All three boys gasped and turned to face the gentle smile of the King of Spades.

"I'm so sorry, your highness!" Arthur bowed hastily, the young prince still latched on to his arm, the other holding onto his leg. "We were just on our way back upstairs."

"You don't have to pretend, Arthur. I know these tykes were up to something. Why doesn't everybody come and join the party?"

"You mean it papa?" Matthew asked, violet eyes shining.

"Of course! Uncle Francis has been asking about you two all night." The three boys followed the king through the corridor and into the grand ballroom.

"Whoa!" Alfred gasped, eyes wide taking in the whole scene. They had seen the ballroom before, but never with such a grand party as this. The royal blue tapestries hung from the walls and the chandelier cast the whole scene in a golden glow. Ladies in dresses twirled around men in the latest fashions, tables filled with delicious foods from throughout the kingdom drew Alfred's attention immediately, and the queen chatted amiably with every guest.

"Can we dance, Arthur?" Alfred asked hopefully, smiling sweetly. "I've been practicing!"

"Really? Because Professor Toris says you still don't want to participate." But the boy shook his head, cowlick bobbing.

"That's because I don't want to dance with _him_ , I wanna dance with you!" The younger boy grabbed Arthur's hand and led him into the center of the room.

"No fair!" Matthew whined. "Why don't _I_ get to dance with Arthur?"

"Because I'm going to be king. And when I'm king, Arthur and I are going to get married!"

Arthur turned bright red, but the King just laughed and led Matthew away. "Looks like you've got your hands full forever, come along, Mattie."

Alfred clearly had been practicing. Arthur could tell by the fact that he sustained far less injuries this time around, but the boy still tripped over his own feet and stared at the ground determinedly.

"Arthur, I mean what I said." The eight-year-old looked at him with serious blue eyes. "When I'm king and you're queen, it won't be just po-pol-poli-"

"Political?"

"Yeah, that, like my parents. I wanna be your husband."

"Well, we have plenty of time before we have to worry about that, Alfie." Arthur ruffled his hair. The monarchy had been doing their best to try and hide the inevitable marriage of Alfred and Arthur until his rebellious stage had ended and the boy had some sense of duty. But it appeared that there was no hiding things from the young prince, and no problem would arise. "Now, let's go see Uncle Francis."

"Uncle Francis", the king of Diamonds, sat beside the Spades ruling couple on the throne of honor, usually reserved for the crown prince, but at this point in life, Alfred spent more time on the grounds than in the throne room.

" _Mes petits!_ " Francis exclaimed, beaming at Alfred, Matthew already on his lap. Matthew loved King Francis, no matter how invisible he felt around his more outgoing twin, he always knew he was Francis' favourite, and Francis taught him French whenever he came over. "My how you've grown, Alfred!"

"Hey Uncle Francis!" Alfred ran up to him. "Did ya bring us presents?"

"Shh, don't be rude!" The older boy hissed, and Francis smiled.

"Oh Arthur, you are too harsh on _le petit prince_ , you'll make such a strong queen. A perfect match for the noble king, here." The young man chuckled, tucking a lock of golden hair behind his ear. "But of course I brought you presents, Alfred! _Et toi, mon petit Matthieu!_ "

" _Merci beaucoup_!" Matthew chirped, and Francis reached into the pocket of his rich orange coat and pulled out two identical chains, both with silver keys.

"What's it to?" Alfred asked, holding the key to the light.

"When you boys come visit me in Diamonds someday, I have a special box for each of you waiting. Which means you'll have to come soon!"

"What about Arthur?" Matthew spoke up, quietly.

"Yeah! You have to get something for my queen!"

"As a matter of fact, I-" Francis was cut off by an explosion that rattled the room. The large glass windows shattered, and the music silenced under the sounds of smashing glass and screaming. Instinctively Arthur pulled Alfred close and shielded the younger boy from the spray of glass that rained down onto Arthur's head.

The room fell silent when the sound of heavy footsteps on marble made it clear that this was no freak accident.

A large man dressed all in green strode slowly into the room, cruel eyes trained directly at the King and Queen.

"Braginsky." The Queen said tersely, stepping in front of her husband. "What do you want?"

"It appears I was not invited to this party, what a pity." The king of Clubs met her gaze cooly, but then turned to look at the twin boys, Matthew clinging to Francis and Alfred peering behind Arthur fearfully. "Your children have gotten so big since the last time I was in Spades. I wonder which one is the heir?"

"Stay away from them!" The king roared, but it had no effect on Ivan. "For god's sake, what are you doing here?"

"Can't I come have any fun? Well, if you must know, I came to strike a deal."

"A deal?"

"You forfeit your kingdom to me now, and I let you live."

"Or?"

"Or I kill the heir and you will give it to me after!"

"I like the third option." The queen snarled. "We have you arrested right here and if Clubs even makes _one move_ the Spades army will grind it to dust."

"Diamonds will back you." Francis added.

"King Francis, so young but so bold. You've only just taken the throne and you already want to get mixed up in a war?"

"I'm warning you, Braginsky. Leave now."

"And I warned you. I'm placing a curse on the Jones family. I've dealt with you far too long, and I'm done now." He said dangerously, reaching inside his coat. "Every last one of you will be dead by morning."

Arthur sucked his breath in, holding Alfred closer to him. "I won't let that happen, Alfred. I'll protect you. No matter the cost."

"You can't do that!" The queen shouted, panicked. "No spell can-"

"This is no traditional spell," He said, drawing a vial from his coat and a knife. "my sister happens to be an expert in...nontraditional workings."

 _Blood magic_. Arthur thought, and sure enough Ivan downed the potion and slashed at his throat, a glowing green liquid seeped from his throat and pooled around his feet. The potion drained rapidly from his body, and soon enough the people of Spades recoiled as it seeped into their shoes. Arthur stepped up onto the throne with Alfred, knowing full well what blood magic was capable of.

"Every Jones left in Spades will be dead by dawn!" Ivan spat, eyes glowing. "And the kingdom will be mine!"

The Clubs king vanished in another explosion which rocked the palace, and the ballroom was thrown into chaos. The spell was starting to show it's true purpose, and the eyes of the guests glowed green as they began to surge their way towards the royal family.

"Francis!" The king cried, "Take the boys and go! You have to get to Diamonds! Take Arthur and Yao with y-"

His words were cut short as he was swarmed by cursed civilians, and Francis turned to Arthur.

"Where's Yao?" Francis shouted over the noise. "We have to get out before we're overwhelmed."

"I- I haven't seen him!" Arthur was terrified, but trying not to show it for the younger boy in his arms. "Probably in the library?"

Francis cursed as Matthew began to cry.

"We don't have time, he's not a Jones, he'll be fine.

"Are you sure?"

"He'll. Be. Fine." Was all the king said before he motioned for the children to follow him. They fought their way into the corridor and raced down the dimly lit hallways. Suddenly, a servant intercepted them and knocked Francis to the ground.

"Matthew!" Alfred screamed, but Francis drew a sword from his sheath.

"Arthur! You have to keep going! Take Alfred and get out, we'll catch up!"

With more adrenaline than ever, the boys sprinted through the labyrinth, finally ducking through the kitchens.

"Arthur, the passageway!" Alfred whispered. "We can sneak out through the passage."

The passageway was something that Alfred and Arthur had discovered a few years back, when Arthur was young enough to needed to be watched by Yao, the fussy page training to be the Jack. Now, in a far less playful situation, Arthur smashed the wooden panel open, taking no time to smash it.

"Alfred, you go in first."

"Arthur no! I'm the hero I have to make sure you're safe." Arthur's heart nearly broke seeing the child try to be brave for his sake.

"I'm invoking the _I'm older_ rule, Alfie, please." Arthur begged, the furniture they stacked against the door wasn't going to hold much longer, already they could hear shouts and pounding. "I have to keep you safe."

Alfred nodded and crawled through the passageway, as soon as he was through Arthur followed, hearing the makeshift barricade tumble to the ground in the kitchens.

The tunnel led them out into the back gardens, where despite the distant roar of the curse, it was quiet.

"Alfred, listen to me. We have to get you to the train, there you'll meet Francis and he'll take us to diamonds. If I-" His voice wavered. "If there are too many people, you get on that train. _Promise_ me you'll get there safe. I have my magic, I'll hold them off long enough for you to get to safety."

"No Arthur no! I'm not leaving without you!" The prince sobbed, shaking his head. "I don't want to be without you!"

"I'm sure it won't come to that." Arthur said, taking Alfred's hand. The voices were getting louder, and as he looked back, he could flames starting to leap from the eastern wing. "We have to go, now."

"Do you think mama and papa are okay?" Alfred asked as they ran through the garden and into the quiet cobblestone backstreets.

Arthur didn't answer. He wasn't optimistic about their fates, but Matthew had to have made it. He was with Francis, and Francis was a grown up, he was a king!

But Arthur was glad he had Alfred with him, so he could make sure he kept him safe. The streets of Spades were dark, almost unearthly so, yet the giant clock tower standing above the buildings showed the time, 4:30.

It was later than he thought, they must have been hidden in that garden far too long. The sun rose in half an hour. If he didn't get Alfred out in half an hour, the curse would manifest in another form to kill him.

He could see the station in front of him, but something was wrong. The train was gone.

"No." Arthur groaned as they ran into the empty station. "No no no!"

Alfred stared up with him with wide eyes, the clock above his head read 4:50, and the sky started to turn pink around the edges.

Arthur had been thinking of his plan B all evening. He didn't want it to come to this, but at this point, Arthur would do anything to keep the boy safe.

"Alfred, you're going to be alright, I promise. I have a plan." He sat the younger boy down on a nearby bench. "First, you'll have to give me your cape."

"Why? It's cold!"

"We can't have anyone recognize you. Even yourself. You'll be safe as long as the spell lasts."

"What spell? Arthur you're scaring me!" Alfred's blue eyes welled up with tears, which made Arthur's own eyes sting.

"It's the only way, Alfie. But I promise you, I'll make everything right someday."

"Arthur what's going on!" He started to cry.

"A memory charm. If you d-don't remember who you are, then-" Arthur choked, beginning to sob. "Then Ivan won't find you, and you'll be safe. It's going to last 11 years, then after that I promise, I'll find you and we can get your memory back. When we're old enough we can stop him. But before that I can't let anyone kill you."

"When we're older, we can find Mattie again? And Francis? And save Spades?" He asked.

"You'll be a great king, you'll be a hero, Alfie. You can save us all." Arthur's shaking hands reached for his wand.

"Hey Arthur," Alfred smiled through his tears while the older boy started the incantation. "when I see you again, we'll be old enough, we can get married."

Eleven years later...

"Bye Al!"

"Bye guys!" The cheerful blonde waved, hefting the bag with all his belongings onto his shoulder.

11 years in the same orphanage, watching out for the kids, stealing bread and sweeping floors. Al had finally turned 19, and was cast out into the world.

No family, no memories, and no place to go, the teenager stood at a crossroads.

On one hand, he could go East. He'd likely have a better chance of catching a ship to Diamonds, which was engraved on the key he wore around his neck, his only clue to his identity.

On the other hand, he felt a pull in his gut towards the Royal City, despite the warnings of the orphanage matron.

The Royal City was royal in name only. When Spades was conquered almost a decade ago, the old capital turned into a den of vice for the Clubs elite, while the Spades natives lived in wretched poverty.

" _Don't you even think about the Royal City, Al. You'll end up in the gutter, or dead. Or a prostitute_." She had told him sternly, attacking his hair with a comb that morning. But Al couldn't shake the feeling he got when he stared down the unfamiliar path.

"Okay, Al." He muttered to himself, digging a coin out of his pocket. "Heads or tails."

He tossed the bronze coin into the air, watching it spin, and when it landed on his open palm, the solemn face of King Ivan stared up at him.

"Royal City it is."

When Al finally passed through the rusted gates that led into the Spades capital, the sun was already hanging low in the sky and unsavory characters filled the streets. He wasn't planning on staying long, and he absolutely wouldn't be spending the night in a city like this, he'd be dead by morning.

"Excuse me," He asked the least threatening looking woman he saw. "Do you know where I can find the train station?"

The woman cackled, revealing a toothless mouth. "A train? They closed the station years ago after the Jones massacre! Neither prince made it out on that last train. No, if you want to get out, you have to talk to Kirkland and Wang."

"Wang...Kirkland?" For some reason, the names sounded vaguely familiar. "How can they help? Where can I find them?"

"They're looking for the lost prince, if you're convincing enough, they may take you to Diamonds." She lowered her voice conspiratorially. "Kirkland's harder to convince. I'd go as far to say that he's in love with this lost prince. So brush up on your Jones trivia."

"Where do I find them?"

"The old palace. West wing. But you didn't hear it from me."

The woman melted into the shadows as Al mumbled his thanks and set off down the cobblestone street towards the abandoned palace.

The gilded doors of the castle loomed before him, and Al studied the peeling navy paint, wondering if he should knock or just let himself in. He guessed that if the woman didn't want to be connected to it, it must be a secret operation.

Al cast a quick glance to make sure nobody was watching, then pushed open the once grand door. Being in the palace made him feel as if he'd been punched in the gut. He recognized it. Maybe he was just imagining it, in his dreams of grandeur and a lost past. But he couldn't shake the feeling that he'd walked the halls before, that the defaced portraits held for him a scrap of recognition.

Could he find answers here?

Was he a servant here? Did he visit as a child?

Could he be the lost prince?

Arthur was sitting at his desk, searching the drawers for the last of his tea stash he'd managed to sneak past rations, when the door burst open, and a man with a sleek black ponytail slammed a paper in front of him.

"Arthur, have you heard?" He demanded, sounding as if he'd run all the way here.

"Heard _what_ Yao? We aren't exactly in the circle of gossip, if you couldn't tell." Arthur gestured to their surroundings. After the overthrow of Spades nearly a decade before, Arthur and Yao were both presumed dead, and did their best to stay under the radar. At least, until they formulated a plan.

"A team of doctors," He panted. "found the bones. Studied them."

"Bones?" Arthur froze, heart pounding. "I assume-"

"The twin. They know which of the twins it was who died in the gutter."

Arthur didn't move, didn't breathe. He just stared at the newspaper folded facedown in front of him.

It had been 11 years, and he had not stopped searching for Matthew and Alfred. Since the news broke that Matthew never made it to Diamonds, he'd hung onto the hopes that neither of them had been found. He was only 12 years old when he cast the memory charm on Alfred, he had no idea if it worked, if the boy had been found and killed or if he'd managed to find a new life. But he had to keep believing Alfred was safe and they could one day be reunited. If he didn't keep believing it, there would be nothing left for him in the world.

With trembling hands, he flipped open the Times of Spades, and glaring block print stared out at him from the front page.

 _MATTHEW JONES CONFIRMED DEAD._

Matthew. Arthur felt as if the floor had been swept from below him. He'd never see the boy's gentle smile, hear his laughter, wake up early to help him make pancakes. Matthew would never grow up, he'd never fall in love, never be kissed. Matthew would never be able to give Alfred the sled he was building his twin for Christmas.

"Mattie..." He mumbled, shocked. Yao patted him on his shoulder, sympathetically. The Jack-in-training had never been as close with the twins, but they'd all grown up together as children in the castle.

But, guilty as it made him feel. His heart swelled a tiny bit. He could feel his heart beat again, and he clutched the Queen's Clock to his heart.

Alfred was alive.

His thoughts were interrupted when a loud crash echoed through the palace.

"Fucking vandals again." Arthur cursed, pushing his chair away from his desk and running out into the throne room.

"Hey you! Fuck off!" He shouted, some kid was sprawled out on the ground, surrounded by fragments of a broken vase, staring up at the portrait of the Jones family. If the intruder even thought about defacing it, Arthur would-

Everything changed when he turned to face Arthur. Despite the plain, grubby clothes and dirt smudged below his eye, he was the most beautiful man Arthur had ever seen in his life.

"Oh, um. Sorry, you can stay." He stuttered, but there was more than just the handsome boy which stopped him. There was something familiar. Something heartbreakingly familiar.

Behind a pair of glasses, bright blue eyes regarded Arthur with surprise, his blonde hair shone in the setting sunlight, when he turned fully to face Arthur, there was a cowlick that stuck right up. And Arthur bet that not even his magic could subdue it.

"Oh, sweet, thanks." When the boy stood up, he stood right beside a portrait of younger Alfred, and the likeness was undeniable. Even his voice had the strong Eastern Spades accent Arthur remembered. "Are you Kirkland?"

"Alfred," Arthur breathed, taking a step towards the boy. "it's you."

"Um, I'm sorry but, I don't know who I am. I mean-" He stumbled. "Shit I wasn't supposed to say that. They told me you were looking for the prince and I should pretend I was, so I could get a ticket out but-"

"No. Oh, no you don't have to pretend. What's your name, if it's not Alfred?"

"They call me Al. It might be Alex or Albert or-"

"Alfred." Yao finished, walking up behind Arthur. "Are you sure?"

"We'll have to find out." Arthur took Alfred's arm and led him into his study. The room he'd taken was once where he'd had his lessons in magic from the old Queen. He could see the eyes of the amnesiac prince flutter with recognition.

Yao had his doubts over if this was the true Alfred Jones, but Arthur knew. They'd had countless young men come through their gates, claiming to be the lost prince. Some pretending to be Matthew, some Alfred. Some claimed memory loss, others came in knowing more about the Jones twins than the boys knew about themselves. Some could fool Yao, but no one got past Arthur. He sent away each and every one of them, but he knew he'd recognize the true Alfred when he saw him.

It would be harder to convince Alfred, himself.

"So wait, you're telling me that _you_ put a memory spell on _me_. To protect me?" He asked after Arthur had told him the whole story.

"Yes. From Ivan. Tell me, Alfred. How old are you?"

"19, I don't remember anything before I was 8." Arthur looked at Yao, who nodded, seeing all the pieces lining up. "Sir-"

"Don't call me sir, Alfred. It's Arthur." Another flash registered in the boy's eyes.

"I-" He mumbled, squinting at Arthur. "Remember. I remember you. You'd carry me around everywhere. You told me stories, and-your cooking was horrible."

"Git!" Arthur blushed, and Yao laughed.

"I think we found him. You always tried to cook things for Alfred and they all burned! Matthew wouldn't even _touch_ any of it. Alfred, you would eat all of it, _then_ tell Arthur how terrible it was!" Yao cackled.

"I do remember that." Arthur said, smiling. He was unable to take his eyes off of Alfred, seeing him again still felt numb and unreal. He felt that at any moment he'd wake and it would all be a dream. He wanted to lean across the desk and touch him, run his fingers through his hair and hold him, beg him for forgiveness for all those years of loneliness.

"There is one final way to _prove_ you're the real Alfred Jones." Yao said, "Not that we think you're lying to us. I can tell because Arthur hasn't been able to shut his mouth since we saw you."

"Test?" Alfred asked, worried. Arthur's fingers shook as he reached in his vest for the Queen's clock.

"This." He said, the golden spade was sealed up, intricate purple patterns tracing around it. Inside a faint ticking noise could be heard, but when Arthur tried to open it, it stayed sealed. "The Queen's Clock. It was forged by the first Jack of Spades for the Queen on her wedding day. Only the true King of Spades' touch can unlock it. Legend says that once a powerful mage disguised himself as the King, locking the true one in the dungeon. The Queen was suspicious, so one day at a meeting, he threw the clock at him. Unknowingly, the mage caught it, and when it didn't spring open, the Queen banished him. Not just that, she left him with a curse, he would forever walk Cards in torment, not quite alive, yet unable to die. That's how the first Joker was born."

"So, I just have to touch the clock, that's it? Then I'll know if it's me or not?" Alfred pushed back his sleeves, but Arthur's breath started becoming more uneven.

This was the moment where everything he'd been counting on for the past 11 years could be broken. He'd have to deal with the last string inside of him shattering. But on the other hand, this could finally prove what he'd been hoping all afternoon, he could find the boy he'd been looking for for almost half of his life.

The room held its breath as Arthur dangled the clock on it's chain just above the boy's hands. Alfred had his eyes squeezed shut, and taking a deep breath, Arthur dropped it into his palms.

In a flash of dazzling light, the clock split open. The enchantment must have caused sparks to jump from between the faces. Yao cheered, Alfred's jaw dropped, and Arthur, through his smile, began to cry.

"Why are you crying, Arthur?" Alfred asked, lifting a hand to his cheek. That did it for him, Alfred saying his name, something he'd never thought he'd hear again. Without thinking, he threw his arms around his lost King and sobbed into his shoulder.

"Eleven years, Alfred. I hated what I did, but it w-was the only thing I could think of to keep you safe. But I missed you, _every day_. I haven't gone a day without thinking of you, wondering if you were dead or n-not. I know this must seem weird... you still don't remember who I am but," he sniffed, tightening his grip. "I'll help you get your memories back, I promise. I just- oh Alfie, my Alfie."

He felt Alfred tense in his arms.

"Alfie...You called me Alfie." He said. "You were the only person I let call me that. I hated it because it made me feel like a kid but I let you because..."

He trailed off, fisting his hands in Arthur's shirt, body starting to shake with beginning of tears.

"I don't remember everything, but I remember you." Alfred whispered, clinging to Arthur. "And I missed you. I think I've missed you forever. Before I even met you again."

"Hey, blondies." Yao poked his head in where Arthur and Alfred were sitting on a dusty velvet couch. "We have to leave now if we want to beat the patrols."

It was almost three in the morning, the two royals spent the whole night catching eachother up on what they'd been doing for the past 11 years. Sharing stories and laughing at Alfred's misadventures at the orphanage, leading the children into pranks that often backfired. Arthur had tried to hold a string of jobs, but every time he'd gotten lazy and tried to get a little help from his magic. Which most of the time resulted in explosions or "unsolved arson cases."

Alfred's-he had to get used to a name, now-head was still reeling from the whole afternoon. It felt like some sort of huge joke, not only did he find out who he was, but he was the King of Spades who everyone kept praying for.

And on top of that, the most handsome, charming man Alfred had ever met was smothering him in attention. Despite the blushing and the flustered defensiveness, Arthur hadn't been able to keep his hands from casually reading every inch of Alfred's body. He'd been brushing the hair out of his face, resting his hand on his knee, rubbing his back. When Yao interrupted them, Arthur was resting his head on Alfred's shoulder.

"Damn it." Arthur sighed, stretching. "I was about to fall asleep there. Come on, Alfred."

"Where are we going?" Alfred asked, dazed and exhausted.

"Diamonds!" Yao called out, tossing a bag at Alfred. "Here, all you need. Clothes, some food, a blanket. The like."

"Wait what?"

"While you two were snuggled up here I did some planning. We've got a long trip ahead of us." Yao explained, grabbing a map off the top shelf. "We leave in a few minutes, hop a train to Clubs, catch a boat to Hearts, then try and hitchhike our way to Diamonds. There, we'll meet King Francis."

"Why are we meeting King Francis?"

"He's been looking for you, Alfred." Arthur said, packing up his own bag. "He was there the night Ivan took over. He did everything he could to get all of us out. If we find him, all of us alive, he can call in an emergency coronation and support us in taking back Spades."

"Wait- is _that_ why you wanted to find me? To take back Spades?"

"I mean, you have to admit, Clubs _is_ kind of oppressing the living shit out of us. But that's not the reason." Yao shrugged. "Did you even _see_ Arthur when the clock opened? Or even five minutes ago? We missed you."

Alfred looked at the ground, smiling. He wasn't used to being missed. He was barely used to being wanted at all, and now, half the kingdom was praying he was alive, half wanted him dead, and he had two friends.

"Come on then!" Arthur said, extending a hand to Alfred. "We want to get out under cover. Once we escape the Royal City it'll be less dangerous."

"I thought trains didn't stop in Royal City anymore?" He whispered as the three of them stepped into the summer darkness.

"They don't." Arthur said, drawing his cloak close around his shoulders. "Hurry up or we'll miss it."

"But if-"

"They don't _stop_ in Spades anymore." Yao elaborated. "Doesn't mean they don't pass through."

"So we're going to, oh boy." He suddenly realized what they were about to do. The winding cobblestone streets brought them to a row of boarded up buildings.

"The tracks are right through here. We just have to get through the whorehouses and opium dens." Arthur dropped back and grabbed Alfred's hand. "Stay close to me."

"Whorehouses? Opium dens? I-" Arthur just pulled him along and ducked into an alley between the shacks. The dull strains of fast music could be heard from each window that looked down on them.

"Hey sugar, lookin' for some company?" A redheaded woman leaned out the window and winked down at Alfred, who blushed. Arthur drew him closer to his side and shot a smile up the prostitute.

"Thanks for the offer, but he's spoken for." He said casually, and the woman in the window grinned down at them.

"So adorable." She shook her head and vanished into the lit window. Arthur kept his arm around Alfred's waist as they finally reached the end of the neighborhood of vice and stood before train tracks.

"I see it!" Yao ran towards the rails as a light in the distance grew brighter. "Come on, you two. We can't miss this!"

Alfred's heart was racing as the ground began to shake, and a whistle sounded in the distance. Out of the darkness, a dark engine materialized, steam billowing out the top.

"Start running now, Alfie!" Arthur called over the noise. "We're going to hop onto the last car."

"I don't think I can make the jump!"

"You'll have to trust me." Train cars started to whistle by, and their feet pounded the dirt, struggling to keep pace with it. Yao was the first one to leap and grab onto the handle on the side of the car. Arthur followed suit, but nearly tipping over and falling backwards in the process.

"Alfred, you have to jump, _now!_ " But his legs were starting to give, and he was slowly starting to lose the ride. His stomach lurched at the thought of missing the landing and tumbling below the wheels of the locomotive.

" _Come on Alfie!_ " Arthur screamed, reaching out a hand. If he didn't jump now, he'd be left behind, and with his memory back, it wouldn't be long before Ivan's curse would reawaken and Alfred would be hunted. And now that he'd finally found his past, he couldn't let them get away without him.

He leapt, but his hands grabbed at air, and time slowed down as he felt himself fall through the air. _This is it_. He thought to himself. _I'm going to die._

But before he hit the ground, a pair of strong arms roughly grabbed his shoulders and pulled him into the train car. The train jolted and Alfred was thrown roughly onto his rescuer.

"I'm _not_ about to lose you again, Alfred." Arthur smirked, looking up at him. Alfred blushed and rolled off him, intently studying his surroundings. They were lucky enough to have landed in an empty compartment. Alfred didn't want to think of what would have happened if they'd accidentally stumbled upon some innocent bystander. Yao was already spreading out a map over the low table that sat in the middle of the car. Around the edges were comfortable looking benches covered in rich velvet. Alfred dragged himself over to the nearest seat and collapsed into it.

"You can sleep, you know." Yao said, pulling his hair back into a ponytail. "The longer we stay on this train, the closer we get to Diamonds."

"Oh-okay." Alfred said. "Are you sure you guys don't need me to help with anything, you look so busy planning..."

"Alfred no, you should get some rest. You look exhausted." Arthur said, frowning at him and placing a hand on his forehead. "Are you coming down with something? You feel hot."

"Artie, you're smothering me." Alfred whined sleepily, pushing his hand away. "I don't need to be taken care of, I'm-" He broke off in a yawn. "I'm the King and I'm a leader, what kind of King am I not helping you guys-"

"Alfie hush. You've had a long day. You _just_ found out who you were. You have to get some sleep. Now go to bed before I put a spell on you, bastard." Arthur gently kissed Alfred's forehead and the younger boy finally fell asleep.

"Oh boy." Edward muttered to himself as he stood outside the door of King Braginsky's study. "He's not going to be happy, no he isn't. This is not going to be fun."

He couldn't hide the truth forever, though. So bracing himself for the worst, he opened the door. Ivan was sitting behind his desk, and when Edward cleared his throat, the king smiled.

"Oh hello Edward! I was wondering when you'd pay me a visit."

"H-hello Mr. Braginsky!" He stammered, shuffling the papers in his hands, avoiding the King's eyes. "Nice evening, isn't it?"

"I hope it remains nice, I see you have news?"

Damn. No avoiding it.

"News from the Spades territories." He mumbled, trying to hide his words. "It seems that there's been... a problem."

"What kind of problem, tiny man?"

"You know how you told me to report back if there was a change in the compass?"

Ivan didn't respond, but there was a definite change in his expression.

"There's been movement. It's um... Maybe you should just look at it." Edward, staring at the ground, pulled a silver sphere out of his coat pocket.

With shaking fingers, he fit a small key into the hole and clicked it open. The compass face showed four letters, one for each of the kingdoms, and 12 small needles in silver, gold, bronze, and brass for each member of the royalty. Up until now, two golden arrows of Spades. labelled "Jack" and "Queen" pointed to the blue S to the east, unmoving. Ivan knew that Yao and Arthur were still alive, but without a king they were powerless, so he let them live. But the King's arrow, which had once been colored black for deceased, had lit back up. And all three were slowly moving from Spades to Hearts.

"I thought you said Alfred Jones was dead." His cheerful tone of voice didn't change as he stared down the bespectacled man with murderous eyes. "You told me that you had killed him, and the only one you didn't know the location of was _Matthew_."

"They are-were identical twins sir, and to be fair I was still a child too, and it was dark. Hard to tell who someone is when you're stabbing them in the neck!"

"How many times did I _tell_ you! They can't regain power without the king, and if they just had the ace Spades is still controllable!" He exploded, but then regained his cool a moment later. "How long has the needle been up?"

"Since this afternoon, sir. I set out as soon as I saw it move."

"Well then, position guards at the border of Hearts, they won't be able to pass through without us noticing. And ring for Natalia, I have a new mission for my sister."

"Alfred. Alfred! Come on, you idiot wake up!"

Al rubbed his eyes and stretched. God, his back was sore, and where were his blankets? Did he pass out one one of the benches in the library again?

"Who Alfred?" He asked, opening his eyes slowly, but suddenly a coat was thrown at his face.

"You are, now get up or we'll be dead in ten minutes."

 _Oh_ , all the events of the previous day came back to him at once, he swung his legs over the bench and hurriedly donned the dark blue coat he'd been given. Arthur and Yao were busy shoving what looked like the contents of the entire dining car into their bags.

"Morning, sleeping beauty." Yao grumbled. "Good thing you're up now, because we're about to have trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" Alfred asked, grabbing his glasses from the table.

"Well, for one thing King Ivan's found out about you. They've posted guards at every major checkpoint into hearts." Arthur was nervously rolling his wand between his fingers. "And as if that weren't enough, Natalia Braginsky, Ace of Clubs, is hunting us down as we speak."

"Now that's a way to wake up. Yesterday morning I missed breakfast, today everyone's trying to kill me."

"Yes well, enough chit chat, because she's on the train right now."

"Wait, _what?_ "

"I've cast a concealing spell over us and charmed the door so it stays locked, but it won't hold forever, we have to get off the train, now."

Almost on cue, an explosion rattled the train and all three royals screamed, but tried to play it off and recover their expressions of manliness.

"Looks like she's hopped the train." Arthur said grimly. "It's just a matter of time before she finds us. We need to go, now."

The three of them grabbed their bags and rushed to the back of the compartment. Yao slid the glass door open and they stood at the very rear of the train. Fields and forests shot past them, and the constant rumbling of the wheels on the tracks obscured all noise.

Arthur shouted something, but Alfred could barely hear him over all the noise.

"What?" He screamed.

"We'll have to jump!"

"That's fucking insane!"

"We'll if you have any _better_ ideas, now is the time to share with us, _your highness_!"

"We'll fucking _die!"_

"Hate to break it to you, Alfred, but if we stay, _we'll also die_." Yao shouted at them, gripping the railing. "Just aim for something soft."

"Okay, count of three." Arthur said, "One-"

A second explosion rattled the train, and this time they could definitely hear marching.

"Three!" Alfred shouted, grabbing his friends' hands and leaping from the back of the train, while in the air, Alfred wrapped his arms around the two smaller royals and twisted so that he would take the impact of the fall.

Luckily, they had landed in a field rather than on the tracks, because Alfred had flung himself off the side rather straight off the edge.

"Oww..." Alfred groaned, Yao and Arthur both rolled off of him.

"Alfred, that was, hell, that was really brave of you." The Jack said, but he was cut off under Arthur's ranting.

"Brave? That was stupid, you idiot! What if you'd broken your back or died or- Ugh! I should've been the one to take the fall, not you! Why-" He broke off as Alfred got up and laughed.

"You're still as uptight as I remember! But no, dude, I'm fine! Besides, if I really did break my back you could probably just magic me back together right?" Arthur opened his mouth to argue again. "Anyways, where are we?"

Yao pulled a slim book from his bag. When Alfred looked over his shoulder, the pages were all blank, but Yao snapped it shut after studying it intensely.

"Sevens country, about eight kilometers from the eastern border. If we hurry, we can get into Hearts' Royal City by this evening. Sooner if we hitchhike some farm wagon or steal horses."

"How did you-"

"Magic book. Queen gets the real power, plus the clock. Jack gets the book."

"Hey no fair- what do I get?"

"The queen." Yao responded.

"The king doesn't have magic, but without the king, no one else has any power. Before the clock is opened, the book doesn't work and the queen can't use their wand." Arthur elaborated. "You're the key that makes everything turn."

"Well, Arthur's been able to use minimal magic, but that's only because he's a _prodigy_. We need to head east." They started walking, and Yao continued to educate Alfred on the finer points of Face Cards. "The queen doesn't necessarily _have_ to marry the king, but so many do because of the power benefits."

"The queen reaches the height of their power if they wed the king, Ivan has been trying to force Elizaveta's hand for years, but she's already seeing the jack, so she has held off thus far. Rumor has it that true love can make the strongest queen. But a royal marriage from anything but political reasons hasn't happened in ages, some say even since the original royals."

"You see, the stronger the queen, the stronger the king. The jack in no way suffers from the king and queen's relationship. It's my job to balance them out."

The three of them walked through the golden fields towards what Yao determined as the only safe route into Hearts. The Aisling forest surged over the horizon, the treeline like a smudge of purple ink rising out of the golden grass.

"We aren't going through the Aisling, right?" Alfred laughed nervously, remembering all the ghost stories from his days at the orphanage. "It's haunted!"

"You haven't changed a bit." Yao rolled his eyes. "Relax. Those are just children's tales, there's no such thing as ghosts."

"Wait-I was afraid of ghosts before?" Alfred asked, and in front of him Arthur snorted.

"Terrified. If I wanted you to behave, I'd tell you I would summon a ghost and you'd finally quiet down." He turned back to face him, green eyes lit by the sun. "You still loved when I told you ghost stories, though. But you wouldn't let me start unless we had all the lights on and you were sitting in my lap with your favourite rabbit."

"Why did I want to hear the ghost stories? God, was I masochistic?" He shuddered, but Arthur smiled, lost in a memory.

"You loved my stories." Arthur said fondly, staring up at the sky while he walked, not looking at Alfred. "Always did, since we were both little and I didn't tell very good ones. You couldn't go to sleep without hearing one. Even-" He broke off and swallowed hard. "Even that last night. When I wiped your memory, you were charmed asleep by the spell. You looked so upset and troubled that while I was carrying you to the orphanage, I had to whisper a story to you and you looked so peaceful."

"Also it didn't hurt that you had a huge crush on Arthur." Yao teased, and both Arthur and Alfred blushed. "Since you were a baby, it was always _Artie Artie Artie play with me!_ You got jealous if he spent too much time with Matthew, so you started pulling pranks."

Matthew. Alfred's bashful smile suddenly slipped from his face.

"I have a brother, don't I?"

Almost as soon as he had said it, they passed into the shade before the forest. Arthur and Yao's teasing grins dropped and instead their expressions turned grim.

"You don't remember him?"

"Nothing." Alfred said, racking his brain for any image he could conjure of his long lost brother. "Well, his fingers were always sticky from maple syrup. He liked playing hide and seek. Where is he? When do I get to meet him? Is he in Diamonds with Francis?"

Yao and Arthur traded uneasy glances, making Alfred's stomach drop.

"What's wrong?" He asked, nervously. "Where's Matthew? Is he okay?"

"You tell him," Yao nudged the queen forward. "He's yours."

Arthur sighed and put a hand on Alfred's arm.

"Alfie, Matthew died 11 years ago. He never made it out of the city."

"No. No no. That's not true." Suddenly images flooded back to him. Laughing together with a boy who looked like his mirror, running through castle hallways. Crawling into the same bed and whispering scary stories. His twin, his partner in crime, his best friend. "He got out, he should've gotten out."

"I guess, I'm not sure. He must have missed the train, he must have fallen off." Arthur said helplessly.

"Why couldn't you save him! You saved me, why couldn't you save him too?" Alfred shouted, tears stinging the corners of his eyes, heart filling with a grief and anger for what he had never knew he lost. "Damn you!"

"I loved him too, Alfred!" Arthur shouted, starting to cry as well. "I looked after _both_ of you!"

"He was my brother, you'll never understand!"

"You didn't even know you _had_ a brother until now! I lived 11 years, not knowing if he was alive or dead, not knowing if you were alive or dead. They found one tiny skeleton in the gutter, and for three years I was so torn, knowing that only one of you could be alive. I found out yesterday morning, _yesterday morning_ that this boy I raised never made it past eight years old!"

After Arthur's outburst, there was a silence. and the two stood staring at each other, tears falling from their eyes.

"I tried my best, Alfie, I really did." Arthur said quietly. "We got separated that night. The castle was on fire and overrun, Francis took Matthew and I took you, we got separated. There was nothing I could've done, but if I could've done anything, I would."

Alfred choked back a sob tried to say something, but the words wouldn't come out.

"Come here," Arthur closed the gap between them and wrapped the crying boy in his arms. "My Alfred."

"When we get to Diamonds." Alfred mumbled into his shirt. "I'm going to get answers from Francis. I need to know why Mattie didn't make it."

"Just know this, Alfred. Francis would _never_ let Matthew die if he could've stopped it. He cared for Matthew like he was his own son. He'd never let anything happen to him."

"Okay." Alfred sniffed, quietly drying his tears. "Right. We should get going."

Yao, hearing the end of the argument and the crying, decided it was safe to poke his head out from around the a tree.

"Ready?" He said, testing the waters to see if he would get killed by interrupting. They nodded, Alfred wiped his eyes and flashed a smile towards the jack.

"Yeah, let's get going! I don't want to be stuck in the forest in the dark." He shuddered. "Children's tales or not. I'm not risking getting my soul sucked out."

It probably wouldn't have made a difference if they had waited for nightfall or not. The minute they were swallowed up by the trees, darkness surrounded them, the sunlight filtered in through the dark blue leaves, casting the forest floor in an eerie glow. Colorful, yet oddly glowing mushrooms bordered the well trodden path they followed, lighting the only direction they could hope to follow through the forest.

The three of them wandered in silence for what felt like hours, before Alfred collapsed onto the ground, groaning.

"We'll _never_ get out of here!" He whined, staring up at the dense tree cover above them. He could swear he heard whispers and laughter, but that was just his imagination, right? Yao said it himself, ghosts aren't real. "We're going to die. We'll starve to death!"

"Oh belt up, we've got plenty of food. It's not that big of a forest, we'll be out soon enough." Arthur kicked Alfred in the side, but couldn't keep the nervous edge out of his voice. "Yao's got the Book, we'll get to Hearts in time for dinner. Right Yao?"

"Of course." Yao muttered, more to himself than to his companions. "We'll be out by nightfall."

"Look!" Alfred scrambled to his feet. "Do you see that!"

"What? Alfred, there's nothing there!" The shorter blonde squinted at where he was pointing, but his eyes didn't register the signpost Alfred saw.

"A sign! And look, look! I think I see a person!" Alfred cried, relieved. "They can tell us where we are!"

"Alfred, I don't see anything." Yao said carefully. "I think we should stay on the path."

"No way, it's right over there! I'll be right back!" Ignoring his friends' cries of warning and shrugging off the hands that tried to pull him back, Alfred stepped over the border of phosphorescent mushrooms and suddenly, the whole scene changed.

He was standing in a ballroom, overgrown with vines that crept up the walls and trees that shot through the floor. He whirled around, calling out for Arthur, but when he turned, his queen and Yao were gone.

"Alfred! Alfred come along!" Heart racing, he followed the sound of the voice. "Alfred, where are you?"

Dodging trees, he wound through the abandoned ballroom, hoping to find answers. The unfamiliar woman was sounding closer now, and when he rounded a corner he stopped dead.

A woman was smiling at him, no, she was looking right through him, He recognized her from the painting and the golden tiara perched on her head, but he recognized her from a deep buried memory, and he could see himself in her blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Mom?" He whispered, voice hoarse. Her serene smile split into a wide grin and she reached out her arms.

"Alfred, there you are!" But when he moved to touch her, she passed right through him. The sound of childish laughter made him spin on his heel to see two children running into the phantom's arms, covered in mud. "And Matthew!"

His stomach lurched. Matthew. He recognized the cowlick on who must have been younger him, but the boy with darker eyes and longer hair must have been his dead brother.

"Now boys, where have you been all day?" A large man with kind violet eyes came up behind his mother, and Alfred could only guess that was the former king of Spades, his father. But more surprising was the teenager at his side, his hair was significantly shorter and ink was smudged in his nose, but it was undoubtedly Yao.

"Just playing, dad!" Matthew said softly. Alfred watched the unfolding scene with a growing sense of uneasiness. Where was he? How did he get here? Why couldn't they see him?

Out of thin air emerged a boy with messy blonde hair and green eyes that Alfred had only ever seen on one other person.

"Arthur!" He and his child self said at the same time, ghost Alfred ran into Arthur's arms, but something was different, ghost Arthur was staring right at him.

"Alfred, you can't be here. You have to leave." He said, panicked. "Now, before anything happens."

"Arthur, what's going on? How do I get back!" Alfred said panicked, around him, the ghosts of his past began to laugh, horrible twisted laughs, and surrounding him.

"Stop it! Stop laughing! Stop it!" Arthur was shouting at the visions, and slowly the ballroom scene drained and the figures turned into a little blonde boy yelling at a laughing albino.

"Gilbert we can't kill this one!" The boy was yelling, but the man just rolled his eyes.

"Ah I wasn't gonna kill him, but it's been so long since anyone's passed through here." He turned to face Alfred and extended out a hand. "Gilbert Beilschmidt, former heir to hearts, currently everyone's favourite Joker. That pipsqueak calls himself Peter Kirkland. Your queen's favourite brother."

"Wait, you're Jokers? But I thought-"

"We were just a ghost story?" Peter finished, grin extending wider than should be humanly possible. "Hasn't anyone told you? Nothing's just a story here, not is Aisling, not in Spades, not in all of cards. Where have you been all your life? Oh wait!"

"In an orphanage." Gilbert suddenly appeared behind him.

"All alone!" Peter materialized on a tree branch, leaving his feet on the ground to walk in circles around Alfred.

"Locked away in your room." The older joker disappeared from behind him, but his hand still remained on Alfred's shoulder.

"Because no one wanted to talk to you!" They dissolved into peals of laughter, and Alfred covered his ears to stop the sounds of their disembodied laughter.

"Stop it! Shut up shut up! The _hell_ do you want!"

The laughter stopped immediately, and Gilbert rose from the ground in front of him, red eyes glowing. No, literally glowing.

"Sorry, blondie!" The Joker said, smiling apologetically. "We just gotta have some fun every once in a while. It's hard to be an all knowing mysterious entity without causing a little trouble."

"We were hoping you'd stray a little earlier, we can't enter the path. Or enter the royal cities. But any forest is our domain! Anyways, we needed to talk to you." Peter said.

"Why?"

"You're the long lost King of Spades! I can't believe you haven't heard the rumors about yourself flying around for the past decade! All the conspiracy theories claiming you were still alive, everyone in Spades wants to crown you, Clubs wants to kill you, and Hearts and Diamonds are kissing your ass to try and get you to save them from Braginski. Now, we'll need to give you a game plan if you want to succeed in this odyssey to Diamonds." Gilbert explained. "Luckily for you, we've stopped time so we can chitchat for a bit, but otherwise, you have to rush through this forest before Natalia catches you. We can slow her down, and I'm sure Arthur will shield you with every spell he's got, but you've got to be on the lookout.

"Besides fearing for your life, you'll also need lessons in being royalty. I'm assuming your table manners are up to snuff, but there's a lot more you have to understand if you want Diamonds to back you. Francis always liked your brother best, so you best make a good impression. Especially in Hearts. My bro's the King, and as much as Hearts fears Clubs invasion, he's stubborn as hell and you'll need a lot of persuading." His eyes glazed over sadly for a moment, then he cleared his head and continued. "The Queen, Kiku is the most reasonable of them all. And if I remember right, the two of you used to be childhood friends. But the real way to Luddy's heart is through his Jack, Feliciano."

"And in Diamonds, Francis has been looking for you since he lost you, Queen Lili is sweet, but the Jack is a crazy man, so just stay away from him." Peter said. Alfred nodded, mind reeling with all the newly acquired knowledge. "Got that?"

"Yeah, okay." Alfred nodded. He didn't get that. "One question, how did you two become Jokers in the first place?"

"Oh, I think your Queen should be the one to tell you that."

"Arthur?"

"Yeah, that's why his eyebrows are so big. They're full of secrets."

"But how do I get out of the forest?"

"Just follow the path, we'll let you out now."

Without another word, Alfred's vision went black.

"Alfred! Alfred wake up! I swear to god, Yao, if he's dead-" When Alfred came to, Arthur was standing over him shaking his shoulders. "Oh thank god, you're awake!"

"Ugh I feel like crap," He grumbled, rubbing the back of his head. "How long was I out?"

"Just a few seconds, you left and just dropped. Jesus kid, you freaked us out." Yao said, peering down at him. "What happened?"

"I-I don't even know." He said. Alfred figured that maybe he shouldn't bring up the Jokers yet. There'd be a time when he would get some answers, but now they just needed to get out of the forest. "But we have to get moving."

"You know how to get out of here?" Arthur asked, helping him up.

"I hope so." He said grimly. "I have a hunch, but with Natalia after us, we have to keep moving."

"Which way do we go?"

"Just follow the path." He said, dusting off his knees and walking down the toadstool lined path. After about five minutes of walking in silence, Alfred spotted something strange up ahead.

"Why are the trees red?" He asked, running forward to the end of the blue trunks. Arthur and Yao raced to pull him back before he crossed into the strange new forest.

"Wait up a moment, Alfie." Arthur said, not removing his arms from around Alfred's waist. "Don't cross over without us. We don't know what the boundary spells are."

"Boundary spells?"

"This is the Hearts border." Yao paced along the treeline, studying his book. "The boundary spell is cast by the reigning Queen as their first act on the throne. It affects only foreigners, making them vulnerable and easy to control when they're in the kingdom. We haven't had one in Spades since Ivan took over. The Hearts royalty are still young, they were only crowned last year. I'm not sure what Kiku cast, but knowing him, nothing unreasonable."

Yao sighed, snapping his book shut. "We'll have to cross anyways, and besides, it just gets stronger on the way to the castle."

Without another word he stepped across the border and turned to wave the other two over.

"It's fine, guys! I feel nothing but a vague fear of death from clubs and apprehension of seeing the other royals again after years of hiding out." His eyes widened further as the sentence went on. "I didn't mean to say any of that. Shit."

"I'm guessing brutal honesty was Kiku's choice." Arthur said dryly. "Not surprised. He couldn't cast anything powerful. Alright, let's get this over with."

Arthur crossed the boundary, Alfred following close at his heels.

"We'll just do our best to say as little as possible, just so I don't disclose my growing attraction to-" He stopped himself, clenching his fists.

"To who?" Alfred asked before he could stop himself, but clapped his hands over his mouth before he could complete the thought, _to me_?

"You two are acting like children, just kiss already! Let's get going, I see the way out up ahead, I'm tired and hungry and mildly afraid of the dark. Also I've given up trying to fight this shit, I've got nothing to hide." Yao said easily, shifting his bag onto the other shoulder as he walked. "Unlike you two and your repressed resurfacing crush on each other."

"I _never!"_ Arthur started. "You'll pay Yao!" He ran after the Jack, who easily sprinted ahead, laughing.

"Not what you were saying last night!" Yao cackled. " _He looks so cute when he's sleeping! I'm so glad I finally have him back!"_

"I'm going to kill you!"

" _He got hot!_ "

It took some convincing to make Arthur lift the curse he had placed on Yao, and once he was human again, the three of them set off to the castle in relative silence. As the trees thinned and turned into red rolling hills, Arthur began to lecture Alfred on the finer points of monarchy.

"So wait, you have to use different greetings for each face card?"

"As we've gone over three times." Arthur sighed. "And you've gotten them just fine."

"Ah, yeah, about that. I've been saying the same thing over and over again with different names every time." Alfred laughed at the shocked expression on Arthur's face. "You seriously didn't notice, Artie?"

"I was distracted by your a- _fucking christ._ Stop smirking, Alfred!" The shorter man blushed furiously as Alfred grinned at him stupidly.

"You're even cuter than normal when you blush." He blurted, much to his own horror. But Arthur just pretended he hadn't heard, though. As he turned away, Alfred could see the tiny smile on his face.

"Well, I suppose you've gotten it close enough. No one will blame you for not knowing it. After all, you were raised as a peasant for 11 years. You just have to be charming enough not to get executed." Arthur sighed. The sun was beginning to set, leaving red and purple streaks across the sky. The three of them had followed the little path onto the main road, watching the lights of the Royal City grow larger in the distance. "Now, speaking of that, do you remember what I told you about Hearts?"

"Right. Uh, yes. Kiku Honda is the Queen, we used to be friends. Ludwig Beilschmidt is the King, and he's pretty uptight and he's having an affair with the Jack, Feliciano Vargas, which I can mention to King Beilschmidt under no circumstances." He said, racking his brain. "And another big no is anything involving the Ace."

"Correct." Arthur shuddered. "If you want to talk to him without getting something thrown at you, you have to go through his brother or his favourite knight, Antonio Carriedo."

"And Antonio is-"

"Very sweet, happy, you'd like him." Arthur said bumping against the teen's shoulder. "He's just very protective."

"Of what?"

Before Arthur could answer, Yao started shouting their names excitedly from behind them.

"A cart! Guys, we can get a ride!" He waved them over. "Oh thank god, I'm too old for all this walking."

"Yao, you're twenty-seven, you aren't exactly ancient." Arthur grumbled, walking over to meet him. The wooden cart pulled up beside them, and atop it were two brunettes wearing the royal marks of Hearts. And one was pointing a sword right at Alfred's head.

"Stop right there. Who the hell are you?" He glared at Alfred, and before Alfred could retort, Arthur was pulling him back and hissing in his ear.

"Remember what I told you about the Ace of Hearts?"

"Yeah?"

"Well this is him."

"Oh, _oh_." Alfred looked back up at the angry looking man and his eyes widened. "Um, good evening, Ace Vargas."

"Good evening bastard, now who are you? What are you doing here, bearing the mark of Spades?" Alfred glanced at him and his traveling companions. It was true, they were wearing quite a lot of blue.

"We've come seeking audience with the King." Arthur said, stepping in front of Alfred and staring the Ace in his hazel eyes. "I get the feeling that he'll want to see us, too."

"Oh yeah? What makes you think that, who the hell are you?"

"Arthur Kirkland, Yao Wang, and this," he said, drawing the teen to his side. "Is Alfred F. Jones, the rightful King of Spades."

Lovino's eyes widened briefly, before narrowing again.

"And how am I supposed to believe you-"

"Lovi wait." The man sitting beside the Ace stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder, and Lovino immediately relaxed. "Let me talk to them."

The man in question was dressed in armor, a wicked looking axe rested atop his shoulder, yet he had an immediately disarming smile, and Alfred felt more intimidated by the tiny Ace.

" _Dios mio_ , Arthur!" He said breathlessly. "Is it really you! I haven't seen you since we were kids! Lovi, I think they're the real deal."

"Toni!" Arthur broke into a relieved grin upon seeing his old friend. "You've grown a bit."

"Outgrown you at last, _Autro_." The cheery man smiled, but then his expression grew sad. "I thought you were dead."

"Can't kill me off that easily, _Anthony_. I've always been tougher than you." Arthur huffed, but was still grinning upon being reunited with his old friend.

"Debateable, I always kicked your ass when we played pirates." Antonio's eyes narrowed. "And Yao, you look the same. But little Alfred! Last time I saw you, you barely came up to my knee, Arthur carried you everywhere!"

"I, I don't-"

"He's had a memory spell." Arthur explained. "He's regained some memories but we're still trying to get them all back."

"Wait... you put a memory charm on him? Can't you, like, spell him back? Reverse it?" He asked, confused.

"Ahh," Alfred looked at Arthur, he never thought of that before! But his Queen was just staring at the ground. "I've tried. I can't."

"Wait- what?" Antonio laughed. "Arthur Kirkland can't lift a spell? He's met his match, _himself_?"

"Hey, I was 12 years old, okay! I cast that spell with everything I had, I couldn't control my magic yet!" Arthur said defensively. "I need to be stronger to lift it, so once I retake the throne-"

" _If_." They were suddenly interrupted by the Ace, who'd been sitting fuming the whole time. "You've got a lot of obstacles in your way, and how do you know that our bastard king will even assist you."

"Please excuse my Lovito, it's been a long day."

" _Antonio_!" He hissed, turning bright red. _My Lovito_? Alfred shot a glance at Arthur. Obviously there was more than just duty between these two.

"Why don't you three hop up and we can give you a lift to the castle." Antonio suggested. And so, despite Lovino's grumbling, they climbed up the horse-drawn cart and made their way to the castle.

"Hey, wake up, we're here." Arthur nudged Alfred, who had fallen asleep on his shoulder during the ride while Arthur and Antonio spent the trip catching up on what they'd missed over the past decade. Alfred sat up, startled, glasses crooked and wiping a trail of drool from his mouth.

"Wsn't sleepin'," Alfred said, rubbing the sleep out of his electric eyes. "Jus resting."

"Sure. Now lets get going. We've got an audience with the royal family." Arthur cast a skeptical look at the disheveled boy and smoothed down his hair. "You got drool on my shirt, idiot."

Alfred stretched and swung his long legs off the cart and dropped to the ground. "Don't worry about it, Artie! Come on! I wanna meet the royals!"

Arthur followed Alfred and the strange Hearts couple, who were currently bickering in a language he didn't understand, into the great stone archway. A pair of guards rushed out to greet them as they entered a courtyard.

"Ace Vargas, Sir Carriedo." The palace guards knelt in front of the group. "Any news from the border?"

"The son of a bitch's posted guards at every checkpoint, they're holding up every train, cart, or pedestrian leaving Spades. He's harassing our citizens and cracking down even more on the poor citizens of Spades. They aren't even able to leave anymore." Lovino spat, then seemed to remember the haggard party behind him. "Except these motherfuckers managed to escape. And we need an audience with the Face Cards. Now."

"But sir-it's the middle of the night."

" _Now_. They'll want to see this."

"See what?"

"I said _now!_ " He snapped and the guard bowed hastily and quickly opened the large oak doors and let them in.

The Hearts castle didn't hold a candle to the glory of the old Spades Palace, but then again, Hearts was constantly facing a looming threat from Clubs. Official war hadn't been declared yet, but the grim faces on the people betrayed the reality of the situation. But Arthur still looked around with misty eyes, because it was _alive_. It was thriving. This is what a kingdom was supposed to look like, not the burnt out shell that Spades had become.

Despite the lateness of the hour, the castle was bustling with life. Servants rushed across the main corridor, carrying trays and brooms and sheets, tired looking pages leaned against alcoves, flipping through books, and a general hum surrounding them.

They followed Lovino and Antonio down the thick red carpet into the center of the castle.

" _Fratello!"_ The Ace called as they entered the empty throne room. "Where are you?"

"I'm here, I'm up." Arthur turned to see a small auburn haired man enter the room, leaning on an intimidating looking blonde man. Feliciano and Ludwig, he guessed. "What's going on?"

"I think you're going to have to sit down for this." Antonio spoke up, nudging the three battered Spades royals to the front. "Where's Kiku?"

"I'm here." A third man came into the room, but unlike the Jack and King, he was still dressed and carrying a stack of books and rolled up maps. "I am sorry for being late, I was working."

"But it's nearly midnight! Kiku you should get some rest sometimes!" The Jack said as the Queen took his throne.

"Not now, they have news."

"Do you want to say it?" Antonio asked Arthur. "I still don't know what's going on."

"Uh," Arthur said, facing the inquiring faces of the royals. "Well you see..."

"Well, speak up!" Ludwig said sternly. Arthur felt Alfred squeeze his hand.

"Um, hi, your highness. So I figure that there's an honesty spell on hearts, so you can believe what I'm about to tell you."

"You look familiar..." Kiku was studying Alfred with a look of concentration, but no recognition.

"Yeah, so do you, but since I don't remember anything from before I was 8 so I've got an excuse." The boy joked but Arthur cringed. He couldn't just insult royalty like that! "I'm kidding, sorry. Uh, I tend to talk to much when I get nervous. Anyways, I'm Alfred F. Jones."

He could hear the sharp intake of breath from the rulers.

It took a while for Arthur, Yao, and Alfred to explain the whole story, up from the last anyone had ever heard from Spades. Alfred figured that they'd need to work out an abridged version, he got the feeling that they'd be telling this a lot.

"We'd gladly aid you, it will be nice to have an ally against Clubs, and we'd all be glad to see you back on the throne." Kiku said quietly as they finished their tale. "We invite you to stay with us for the night."

"And of course, you'll need protection for the rest of the journey." Antonio added. "So Lovino and I will go with you."

"Really?"

"Well none of you motherfuckers can defend yourselves." Lovino smirked, hefting his sword onto his shoulder. "We'll head out tomorrow morning. Bright and early. Now I'm off to bed."

He turned on his heel and walked down the hall, but not before shooting a glance at Antonio, who grinned and stuttered his goodbyes before surprisingly following after the young Ace.

"Uh, I'll just show you to your rooms now." Kiku cleared his throat to catch Alfred's attention. The Queen led them through a corridor in the back of the room and up way too many darkened staircases for Yao, who kept complaining every step he took, whining about how they'd never reach the top.

Even over the sound of the Jack's complaining, there was a palpable awkwardness. Arthur had said that Alfred and Kiku were very close as children, but Alfred remembered none of it, even though he could see in Kiku's eyes that the Queen of Hearts did.

Their rooms were in the Northern wing, all connected by one hallway. Yao and Arthur had both settled into their respective rooms, but right before Kiku could open the door to Alfred's, the King stopped him.

"Hey, Kiku. I'm really sorry."

"Sorry for what?" The smaller man asked, confused.

"Not remembering. Arthur said we used to be friends, and I _really_ wish I could remember. You just got me back and I can't remember you."

"It's not your fault, Alfred." He smiled gently. "You're alive, which is more than any of us had hoped. I'm sure you'll get your memories back in the meantime. And besides, you seem to already be getting along fine with Yao... and Arthur of course."

"What's that supposed to mean!" Alfred said defensively, blushing. "I may have a massive crush on hi- _fucking hell_."

The Queen of Hearts snickered, Alfred almost forgot about the honesty spell.

"Goodnight, Alfred."

"See ya, Kiku."

The room was dark and the bed was warm, but Alfred couldn't sleep. He lay under the thick red blankets, tossing and turning, staring at the ceiling. His mind was racing with everything he'd recovered, but more than that, the danger of their task was starting to sink in. It felt like he was up against too much. Taking back the crown entailed going to war with Clubs, but that was considering they made it as far as Diamonds. Starting tomorrow, they had to leave Hearts and cross through Clubs itself, right in the belly of the beast.

"What the hell." He muttered and rolled out of bed, figuring he wasn't going to get any sleep anyways he'd walk around and explore.

Tiptoeing, he opened the door a crack and slipped into the corridor. Moonlight streamed through the windows, casting long shadows on the ground. A painting at the end of the hall caught his eye and as he walked toward it, he couldn't hear the footsteps behind him.

It was a portrait of the royal family, he guessed. A small boy resembling Ludwig was staring stoicly out of the painting, but what caught his eye was the grinning teenager in the picture, with white hair and red eyes.

"Is that?"

"Alfred, duck!" Luckily he did, because with a heavy _thunk_ , a knife tore into the portrait where his head used to be. Alfred spun around to see a Arthur gripping a candlestick and facing a girl dressed in all black, her white blonde hair standing out starkly in the darkness.

The girl spun and lunged at Arthur, and Alfred instinctively leapt forward to yank the assassin backward by her hair. As Alfred pulled backward on a handful of her hair, the insignia of Clubs tatooed on her neck came into view.

This must have been Natalia Braginsky.

Natalia shrieked and whipped around, fist connecting with Alfred's jaw. Alfred stumbled back, clutching his face. The Ace of Clubs reached for another silver knife strapped to her thigh, but Arthur lobbed his candlestick at her, sending her sprawling to the floor.

" _Not my prince_ , bitch!" He spat as Natalia fixed her dangerous eyes on him. She spun the knife in her hand, but Arthur drew his wand and pointed it at her. "You'll have to go through me, first. And you don't want to do that, Braginsky."

The sounds of the fight had drawn attention, and now Yao came running down the hallway to their aid, and Alfred could hear him shouting for guards.

Natalia paused, realizing that for the moment, she was at a disadvantage. She lowered her blade and backed up to the window.

"Long live the king." She hissed before turning and vaulting the windowsill, vanishing into the night.

"Holy shit." Yao panted as he finally reached the two of them. "Holy shit. Are you two alright?"

"I'm fine, Alfred?"

"Mmf," Alfred agreed in pain, clutching his bruised jaw.

"What were either of you doing out? Alone?"

"Well excuse me for thinking we'd be _safe_ in a castle! I couldn't sleep, I was going to Alfred's room."

"Oh," Alfred blushed. "I was going to see if you were up."

"Aiyah, I swear you two. I'm going back to bed. I called for the guards, they'll be posted outside our rooms." He rolled his eyes, but then his face softened. "That was a close call, but we've got a lot of travel before us tomorrow so, try and get some sleep. Both of you."

The sound of Yao's footsteps receded down the hallway and Alfred grinned sheepishly at the queen.

"You idiot! Why do you keep getting yourself in danger! I worry about you, you know that! I really care about you!" Arthur exploded, words still exposed from the honesty spell.

"I'm sorry." Alfred mumbled, Arthur shook his head and wrapped his arms protectively around him. "I forgot about Natalia."

"You're safe. That's what matters. Come on, like Yao said, big day tomorrow, time for bed."

"I'm not sure if I can sleep after that." Alfred said grimly, and Arthur nodded.

"Me neither."

"Do you want to...talk?" Alfred asked, staring at the ground, thankful for the darkness that hid his blush.

"I wouldn't mind that, I guess." Arthur whispered, leaning into the taller boy. "Since neither of us can sleep."

Arthur took Alfred's hand in and led him down the hallway into his room, and Alfred's heart fluttered with his quickly resurfacing feelings.

He still didn't remember much from his old life. Just bits and pieces here and there, but the more time he spent with Arthur, the less it mattered to him. Because as long as he had the grumpy Queen ruling by his side, it didn't matter what he was up against.

"What are you smiling at?" Arthur said, fixing him with those green eyes as he perched on the end of the bed.

"Oh, I dunno. Just thinking about being a king." Alfred sprawled out beside the smaller man.

"Of course you are." Arthur rolled his eyes. "And the glory of the crown."

"Well, kinda. But mostly about having you as a queen."

Even in the darkness, Alfred could see Arthur blush.

"Hey, Arthur?"

"Yes?"

"The King and Queen, they have to get married right?" Alfred asked, heart hammering in his chest.

"W-well they don't _have_ to, but it makes the Queen more powerful. But if you didn't-"

"I wouldn't mind." Alfred blurted, too quickly. "I mean, it'd make the kingdom stronger anyways, and it's not like I _wouldn't_ want to be married to you since I like you, like, as friends I mean I-"

He trailed off, humiliated. He was sure he'd said too much, gone too far. Alfred had only just met, or re-met he supposed, Arthur and now he was trying to subtly propose to him. But they'd likely get married anyways, and they'd technically known each other for a very long time...

"I wouldn't mind being married to you either." Arthur muttered, and Alfred sat straight up, worried he'd misheard him.

"What?"

"I _said_ I wouldn't mind being married to you, idiot!" Arthur said, laughing at the stunned expression on his face.

"Really?"

"Yes, really." The silence hung heavy for a moment between them, and Alfred wanted nothing more than to close the gap between them. _It's too soon_ , he told himself. _Arthur probably still sees me as the little kid I used to be_.

But it was Arthur who leaned in and pressed a kiss to Alfred's lips. Arthur tasted like mint, his kiss was so gentle, and Alfred never wanted it to end, but when they broke apart, his head was spinning.

"I've been wanting to do that since I saw you in the castle."

"I've probably been wanting to do that since we were kids." Alfred admitted, Arthur smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Yao was right, though. You need to be well rested." Arthur said, standing and pulling him from the bed. "Which won't happen if you're in here with me."

"But-"

"No buts!"

"Wait!" Alfred turned to grab Arthur's shouders and kiss him before sprinting off down the hallway. "Night Artie!"

"Goodnight, idiot."

"Hey, get up you." Alfred opened his eyes and fumbled for his glasses at the bedside table. The Ace of Hearts was standing in the doorway holding a pile of clothes and scowling. "We'll be heading out in twenty minutes. Get yourself dressed and meet in the dining hall."

He tossed the clothes at Alfred, who scrambled out of the gigantic bed to pick them up off the floor. The dark brown pants and tan tunic looked familiar enough to what he wore yesterday, but the red cloak he was supplied with was obviously of Hearts. Alfred looked sadly at his favourite blue scarf left by the bedside. But while they were travelling undercover, best not to be wearing the colors of Spades. He quickly slipped into the new clothes, and chased the retreating figure of Lovino down the hall.

"Do we get food?" Alfred asked as they descended a stone staircase, the shorter man just rolled his eyes.

"Of course. Why do you think we're meeting in the dining hall?"

"Well I dunno how things work around here-"

"Royals still eat, dumbass." He turned around and gave Alfred a once over. "But I'm sure you'd know that."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." They were faced with a pair of large oak doors, which Lovino pushed open to reveal a long table covered in baskets of every food imaginable and at the end, Arthur with his blonde bedhead chatting easily with Antonio.

 _I kissed him last night_. Alfred thought to himself, thrilled. But then his stomach sank in a feeling of dread and nerves. _Does he regret it? Is he not gonna talk to me anymore? Did I ruin everything?_

All that fear lifted when Arthur turned to see the Prince, his face lit up and he stood up abruptly, knocking his plate off the table in the process, and walked quickly to meet Alfred.

"Good morning, love." Arthur murmured happily and threaded his fingers with Alfred's.

"Morning, beautiful!" His face was flushed and he couldn't bite back the ridiculous grin that spread across his face, even as Arthur pressed a quick kiss to his lips. They suddenly remembered the presence of the others when a loud crashing sound brought them back to reality.

Yao was staring at them, mouth hanging open, his teacup having dropped from his grip onto the boys blushed, and once Yao managed to get a handle of his shocked expression, the jack howled with laughter.

"You know," He said, wiping tears from the corner of his eyes. "I mean, I knew this was going to happen eventually, but it's been _two days_!"

"Hey, I'll have you know we've known each other since he was born!"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, your Highness."

"Wait, you mean, you _weren't_ together before?" Antonio asked, confused. Which just made Arthur flush even darker and stutter defensively.

"Nevermind that, we have bigger problems to worry about." Lovino said grimly, reentering the room to stand beside Antonio. "The guards have been searching all night and haven't been able to find Natalia. Which means she's still out there, and has likely gotten information back to Ivan."

"Shit." Alfred cursed, Arthur squeezed his hand for reassurance, but Alfred couldn't tell if it was for his sake or Arthur's own.

"They know we're sheltering them..." Antonio said under his breath, then looked up at Lovino, startled. "The royal family-"

"Will be well protected. The guards are here, we have the strongest army in all of Cards. They'll be fine." For the first time, the Ace sounded afraid. He tilted his chin up in a show of bravery, but Alfred could see the worry in his eyes. "We just need to focus on getting you three back on the throne. Which means we leave for Diamonds. Now. Come on."

Lovino turned to leave the room, leaning into Antonio, who was softly reassuring him. Alfred tried not to eavesdrop, but it sounded like Lovino was worried about his brother.

"Do you think they'll be okay? The Royals?" Alfred asked as he hefted his bag over his shoulder and followed Arthur and Yao out through a back corridor and into the sunlight.

"Ace Vargas is right. They have the best military, they're well protected, and if Ivan attacks the palace, it's an outright declaration of war." Arthur brushed a lock of hair out of Alfred's eyes. "But it makes sense that he's worried. It's the Ace's job to protect the Royal family, and besides, his brother is the Jack."

"Can Jack Vargas protect himself?"

"Well, not quite. But King Beilschmidt will watch after Feliciano with his life. Lovino knows it. People will protect those they love with everything." Arthur reached out for Alfred's hand and squeezed gently. "Do you understand?"

Alfred's heart fluttered. He understood that Arthur wasn't just talking about Feliciano and Ludwig. Or even Antonio and Lovino. It was his subtle way of letting Alfred know he loved him.

"Yeah." Yao walked over to them from the stables, leading two giant black horses.

"We're travelling on horseback, Antonio says we'll move faster and be less detectable." The Asian man said, handing the reigns to Arthur and turning to Alfred. "What's wrong, Alfred? You're looking a little pale."

"I, uh, I have no idea how to ride a horse."

"You used to, you've been taking horseback riding lessons since you could walk." Yao said, before suddenly remembering. "You mean you don't know how? I thought you'd have kept _some_ basic skills, like walking and self-control. But then again, your self-control is lacking, so it makes sense that riding would be missing, too."

"No matter, we can teach you on the way to Diamonds." Arthur shrugged, stroking the nose of his own horse. "In the meantime you can ride with me."

"I-"

"Perfect," Yao said, jumping easily into the saddle of the horse Alfred was going to take. "Won't take you long to catch up, we're leaving from the western gate."

Arthur mounted the horse quickly and extended a hand down to where Alfred was warily eyeing the horse.

"Coming, Alfred?"

"It's okay, I'll walk." He laughed nervously.

"What's wrong, love?" Arthur frowned. "You won't be the one doing the actual, er, steering. Just sit up on the saddle, I'm sure you're not _too_ heavy."

"I just," He shifted his weight. "I don't trust horses. They're too tall and pretend to care about your feelings."

Arthur looked at him for a moment in surprised silence, then began to laugh.

"You're quite possibly the biggest idiot I've ever met." Alfred blushed but couldn't help smiling back. The sound of Arthur laughing was something he could hear for the rest of his life.

"Okay, I may not trust horses...and I may not trust you... but two wrongs make a right, I guess." He winked at his Queen and grabbed his hand, settling in the seat behind him.

"Honestly, you're the most insufferable-" Alfred cut him off by pressing a quick kiss to his lips. Arthur sighed as he pulled away, but couldn't repress a small smile. "You're a disaster. You can't just kiss all your problems away."

"No, but I can kiss yours away." He grinned, hugging Arthur around the waist as the smaller man kicked his heels against the side of the horse.

Alfred held Arthur tight as he brought the horse to a slow gallop. The courtyard rolled by them lazily as they caught up with the rest of the convoy. Antonio was shouldering his uncomfortably large axe, and Lovino was trying to pull his sword out from where it was embedded in the trunk of an oak tree. At their arrival, Lovino acknowledged them with a slight nod before


End file.
